Rocky Mountain Cycling Club
|
Newsletters of 1999
Not Published Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride They're Heeeere! Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the premier issue of our newly named newsletter. Sit back. Grab a PowerBar, and refrain from blinking. Otherwise, the pleasure you derive from the insightful prose published herein after will vanish before you can open that abhorrent mylar wrapper. www.rmccrides.com The RMCC Files In our season fmale (12/8), Special Agent Rita Saunders reported to the RMCC review board that Denver-Aspen '98 experienced a net loss. Concrete evidence in the form of a final accounting statement corroborated her claims. The board agreed to convene all future club meetings on the first Tuesday of each month to ensure that the public can be kept abreast of all pending matters. Expect to receive future Chatters in the mail before the beginning of each month. A New Beginning (1/12) ... As the twelfth day of the new year waned, the RMCC review board took the following decisive action.
Stay tuned for scenes from next month 's all new episode. February 2, 1999 at 7:00 MST/9:00 EST, the RMCC Files will be going to Terri Durbin's house. Extras are needed for numerous scenes rife with legions of undead. Please contact Terri for directions to the set. HELP! I've Fallen, and I Can't Get Up! Assistance is needed with distributing ride schedules to bike shops in the Colorado Springs area. Please contact Barry Nash to lend a hand in the fight between Good and Evil. Attention all club members that breathe O2 - The Denver-Aspen committee needs a rest stop chairperson for this year's ride. Responsibilities involve coordinating all aspects of rest stop management including food purchases, communication with the rest stop leaders, etc. Please contact Rita Saunders to volunteer. Were you glued to C-SPAN during the IRS hearings? RMCC needs professional tax assistance. Any lawyers or CPAs willing to consult with the club and provide advice, please contact Charlie Henderson. "Thing" for Sale Anyone interested in purchasing a storage container on wheels, contact John Haase at fahlaneigh@aol.com. Ridin' High Ho, ho, hopefully you began keeping track of this year's mileage when the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve because RMCC is pleased to bring you the 1999 Mileage Challenge. The purpose of MC'99 is to encourage club participation and to provide a forum for some friendly competition. Every person accumulating at least 3,000 miles is eligible to receive a club patch specially recognizing the achievement. A separate patch will be made for those individuals riding more than 5,280 miles in the year . Each patch is available at the super low cost of $5. Furthermore, the club member that rides the most miles during the year and the member that logs the most miles on club sponsored rides win each receive one free year of RMCC membership. To participate, keep this Chain Chatter handy. When the new millennium dawns, fill out the form in the adjacent column and return it to the listed address along with a $5 check payable to RMCC (if applicable). All respondents will be recognized in the March 2000 Chain Chatter. Results will be posted on the club website by February 15, 2000 as will the article applauding the immortals. To ensure you get recognized, please return the form by January 21, 2000.
Who Was That
Masked Man?
Breaker One Nine, Do You Copy?
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Yeah, Baby, Yeah Volunteers are needed to man the start line, the finish line, the route checkpoints, and various Austin Powers type - agent checkpoints for the club's four Paris-Brest-Paris qualifying brevets in May and June. Please contact John Lee Ellis at jellisx7@juno.com if your bag includes helping catch Dr. Evil. It's guaranteed to be a shagadelic good time. Yeah! How U Doin ? Is yuse on da pace for 5280? By avagin a hundred two miles every wick, you should hit d'llustrious mawk on 12/31/99. I dunno 'bout yuse guys but I've been sleepin ' wit da fishes cuz I'm loggin' a hundred miles every six wicks. Guess what I'm doin' come da good wedda. Fugettaboutit. Glad to Meet Ya The next club meeting will be Tuesday, March 2, 7:00 p.m. at Rita Saunders' home. Contact Rita for clues on where to go. Will Wonders Ever Cease? Do you ever wonder why your fanny spends so much time plastered on that ergonomically friendly device you call a bike saddle? On Thursday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m., Stan Havlick, adventurer, endurance cyclist and mountaineer will be presenting a slide show at the Museum of Natural History (Ricketson Auditorium). The slide show is titled "Wonders of the Open Road," and it tells the story of the charitable marriage between his fanny and his saddle. Actually, it vividly documents the 3,000-mile coast-to-coast bicycle journey across Australia that Stan completed for the benefit of the University of Colorado Cancer Research Foundation. In April 1996, Stan, Chuck Sanson, and Drew Juen dipped their back wheels into the Indian Ocean near Perth, Australia. Thirty-six days later, just south of Sydney, the waters of the Pacific Ocean lapped happily at the trios' front wheels. Join Stan on March 11 as he shares his slides and adventurous tales from the trip. This should be a truly outstanding program. If you're interested in attending, the cost is $7 for museum members and $10 for non-members. Pearl Izumi Clothing Surplus Floods Black Market Returning to the tried and true battle dress uniforms of yesteryear, the Department of Defense announced that Boulder-based Pearl Izumi will no longer supply the biking style uniforms today's military personnel have come to love. Major General C. Chatter, Commander-in-Chief of all sharply dressed biking gods, expressed his extreme remorse at the passing of another military tradition. "I was sorry when MREs (meal ready to eat) stopped including PowerBars, and I'm sorry about this. However, the military's loss is the public's gain." RMCC has some vintage Gulf War bike clothing for sale. PI UItrasensor shorts emblazoned with the 1998 club design still abound (women: two small, one medium, and two large; men: two large), as do two 1998 club jerseys (women: one small and one medium). Also, some RMCC de-feet socks can still be found on the black market (three small). Please contact Terri Durbin if you're interested in picking up some of this contraband. Who's In Charge
Here?
Please refer to the 1999 Ride Schedule to determine start locations. And Now for
Something Completely RMCC is currently renegotiating its Pearl Izumi discount offering due to a recent change in PI personnel. Because of this unexpected circumstance, the PI order forms haven't left the building. The forms will be mailed directly to you as soon as a deal is struck, and they'll be accompanied by the 1999 club jersey design and order information. In other news, Elvis has left the building. Blasphemous Rumors "I am too strong in the mind and the legs. Fifty seconds is too much to make up in such a short distance." - Laurent Fignon The news came a bit late for the February newsletter, but those diehard cycling enthusiasts who have forsaken their VeloNews subscriptions for www.rmccrides.com, learned all about Wheatridge Cyclery's Pro Night on February 11. Hopefully you made it to the shop and were able to get Greg LeMonds's autograph and to hear some of his great stories from Le Tour. If not, be sure to bookmark our site for future reference. Remember ... check it out now, you funk soul bruddah! USPS Not Automatic Selection for Tour February 9 --To qualify for this year's Tour de France, the U.S. Postal Service team will have to perform at a high level before the four wild- card teams are selected on June 16. That's because when the year's first UCI team rankings were computed this week, the American squad dropped from 15th place to outside the top 20. In the same position is the Italian team, Vinavil. USPS and Vinavil were replaced in the list of 16 automatic Tour team selections by Credit Agricole of France and Vitalicio Seguros of Spain. The 16 teams -- all of which will have to make a commitment to "sports morality" and not be involved in a doping scandal prior to the Tour -- are Casino, Cofidis, Festina and Credit Agricole of France; Mercatone Uno-Bianchi, Mapei-Quick Step, Polti and Saeco-Cannondale of Italy; once-Deutsche Bank, Banesto, Kelme-Costa Blanca and Vitalicio Seguros of Spain; Rabobank and tvm-Farm Frites of the Netherlands; Telekom of Germany; and Lotto-Mobistar of Belgium. (Written by John Wilcockson. Reprinted from VeloNews Interactive. www.greatoutdoors.com/velonews) Rules for the Road The following paragraphs are taken from an article written by James Hargett and published in Bicycling Magazine. The complete text of "Eight Ways to Increase Your Safety in Traffic" can be found at www.bicyclingmagazine.com/skill/rules.html Keep right. This most basic rule of sharing the road with motor vehicles is the one that cyclists are most casual about. If there's a wide, clean shoulder, use it. Barring potholes, storm grates, parked cars, glass and other hazards, it's usually easier (and safer) to ride to the right. Use common sense about riding abreast. It's enjoyable to ride side-by-side with a companion and carry on a conversation ..: It's usually best to restrict side-by-side riding to quiet, secondary roads... Wave vehicles to come around when the path is clear. Ride predictably. This one's easy. Ride in a straight line when you're cruising and use hand signals when turning or changing lanes... Motorists feel more comfortable dealing with cyclists who communicate their intentions. Make yourself visible. In conditions where motorists might not readily see you (an overcast day, for example), it's a courtesy and plain good sense to wear brightly colored clothes. Be careful about "provocative" actions. At a red light, even friendly drivers are likely to be irritated by a cyclist riding in circles in front of them. Similarly, if you lean on a vehicle at a stoplight, be aware that some drivers consider their cars extensions of themselves. Return the favor. Cyclists come to appreciate little unexpected courtesies from motorists. For instance, we all nod a thank you to the driver who has the right-of-way but waves us through anyway. Try returning the favor. You might, for example, motion a driver to make his turn in front of you if you'll be slow getting under way. Who knows? That driver might look a bit more favorably on the next cyclist down the road.
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE IS THE 15TH OF EACH MONTH. PLEASE SEND
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride An "Excellent" Decision The RMCC's most excellent press correspondents, Bill s. Preston and "Ted" Theodore Logan report that the "Chain Chatter" is expanding its coverage ofworld events to 12 times a year. A strongly worded RMCC statemmt noted that "the motivation behind this momentous decision rests with the need to assist our members' souls from wandering aimlessly during the cycling blight known as December and January. Excellent! party on!" h The "Wheel of Fortune" method previously used for determining the location of our monthly club meetings has been eradicated. The club will conduct its business at the Denny's restaurant (next to La Quinta) at Park Ave. and 1-25. Please be aware of potential traffic snarls when our beloved Rockies host the Major League's finest. The meetings will continue to be held on the first Tuesday of each month. The next soiree will be April 6 at 7:00 p.m. Live to Ride Colorado cyclist and RMCC club member, Joe Lookingbill, invites you to participate in the first leg of an extremely heroic journey. On Sunday, May 9 at 8:00 a.m., Joe will depart from the Colorado State Capital on a 962-mile bicycle ride to Austin, Texas to help raise money for cancer research. Joe is a cancer patient and plans to finish his ride in Austin on May 28, just in time to participate in the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) Ride for the Roses. The LAF is an organization devoted to fighting cancer through research, awareness, and education. World Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong founded the organization after his much publicized and successful bout with testicular cancer. He vowed to use his experience and position to fight this dreadful disease, and the Ride for the Roses is the anchor of the LAF's fund-raising efforts. In conjunction with his multi-state symbolic ride, Joe is accepting donations to aid in the fight against cancer. Make checks payable to the Lance Armstrong Foundation and mail them to 2756 West 107 Court, Unit A, Denver, Colorado 80234-3194. For more information about Joe's ride and his itinerary, you can reach him at 303-635- 2549. Additionally, you can learn more about the Ride for the Roses and the Lance Armstrong Foundation at www.laf.org. Pearl Izumi!!! Avocet??? A personnel restructuring at Pearl Izumi has led to changes in the RMCC discount program.
HeartCycle Colorado Border-to-Border Tour Participants are wanted for an eight-day 1,200-mile (1,930-km) tour traveling a north-south oriented "border-to-border" loop through Colorado, having one night in Encampment, WY and one night in Chama, NM. This is a one-time only tour from Colorado HeartCycle Association through several classic portions of Colorado. Daily distances are 120, 126, 178, 183, 180, 100, 139, and 185 miles. Maxirnum tour size is 30 riders. Two SAG vehicles will be used. Use it for a training ride! For more information: Tour Leader: Vernon Smith Sponsor: Colorado HeartCycle
Association APRIL TRAINING RIDES: START TIME 8:45 AM
RMCC APRIL MEETING: TUESDAY, APRIL 6 @ DENNY'S
(PARK AVE AND 1-25), 7:00 PM
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Columbine H.S.
Do You Yahoo, Mon?
Overnights will be in Cimarron, Las Vegas, and Taos, with daily distances of 105, 92, and 75 miles. The cost will be approximately $150 depending on the number of adventurers that sign up. Contact Barry before May 8 to get more information or to register, mon. Grab your best chance for jah irie love! RMCC May Meeting Tuesday, May 4 @ Denny's (Park Ave and 1-25). 7:00 p.m. Live to Ride. Forever Don't forget! On Sunday, May 9 at 8:00 a.m., Joe Lookingbill will depart from the Colorado State Capital on a 962-mile bicycle ride to Austin, Texas to help raise money for cancer research. Show your support and ride Joe out of town. Actually, you should ride your own bike while Joe rides his own bike and everyone moves in the direction of "out of town." In conjunction with his multi-state symbolic ride, Joe is accepting donations to aid in the fight against cancer. Make checks payable to the Lance Armstrong Foundation and mail them to 2756 West 107 Court, Unit A, Denver, Colorado 80234-3194. For more information about Joe's ride, you can reach him at 303-635-2549. Spoke Nipple Gardens RULE! Forget about Cabbage Patch Kids, Tickle-Me Elmo and Teletubbies. Embrace the latest craze to sweep across the country: spoke nipple gardens. You too can raise a gloriously exotic garden of anodized DT Swiss Spokes nurtured into full bloom from just one colorful package of spoke nipples. Simply follow this easy three-step process and amaze your neighbors with this quirky display of your love for cycling.
Let's Draft Semi-serious and enthusiastic female cyclist looking for training partners, all types of riding, i.e., flats, hills, mountains, short or long. Denver/DU area, but will travel to other locations, i.e., Boulder, etc. Please contact Katrina at kmonticue@uswest.net. Amblin Entertainment Presents RMCC and Colorado Heart Cycle are working cooperatively this year to share some of the unique aspects of each of club with our members. This month, RMCC is featuring an additional flyer in the "Chatter" containing HeartCycle 1999 tours. You are invited to join in on these tours, just as we have invited HeartCycle members to participate in our more challenging rides. If you have questions, you can contact Diane Short. http:/ /bcn. boulder.co.uslrecreation/heartcycle MAY TRAINING RIDES: START TIME 8:45 AM
RMCC MAY MEETING: TUESDAY, MAY 4 @ DENNY'S
(PARK AVE AND 1-25), 7:00 PM
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Obi-Wan Izumi: The changes to the Pearl lzumi discount program contained in this R2 unit (i.e. previously alluded to in earlier "Chatters") have revealed a disturbance in the Force. The cost of the jerseys and shorts is actually higher than the price charged because the young Jedi night, Pearl lzumi, has succumbed to the Dark Side of the Force. The Rebel Alliance (a.k.a. RMCC) led by young Luke Skywalker, will follow through on the commitment made to the club membership. For each jersey sold, RMCC will pay the additional $10.50, and for each pair of shorts ordered RMCC will cover an additional $13.50. $950 will come from the Cloud City treasury which is fat from its treacherous actions leading to the Carbonite freezing of Mr. Ran Solo. Delivery of the jerseys will be approximately the second week of July. Live long and prosper. Doh!
Tuesday, June I @ Denny's (Park Ave and 1-25). 7:00 p.m. Optimal Muscle Recovery
Dr. Edmund Burke, Ph.D. summarized decades of research on muscle performance into, what he calls, the R4 System. Understanding the science behind the following four principles can help you improve your recovery and move toward achieving your full athletic potential.
To learn more about
training recovery, the R4 System and Dr. Burke's new book, "Optimal Muscle
Recovery," check out www.optimalmusclerecovea.com. Forget Y2K. Think D2A! Volunteers for the D2A are really needed. Really! Really! RMCC's "Black Ops" unit, the clandestine intelligence wing of the Colorado cycling community, uncovered the following Top Secret D2A requirements:
The Ride of a Lifetime In honor of Joe Lookingbill's dedication to the RMCC and to support his fundraising efforts in the battle against cancer, the club gave the Lance Armstrong Foundation $500. On May 9, Joe left the Colorado State Capital on a 962-mile bicycle ride to Austin, Texas. The journey culminated with Joe's participation in the Lance Armstrong Foundation Ride for the Roses on May 28 and more than $3,000 raised for the organization. In August, another contribution will be made to the foundation on behalf of all the Denver-Aspen Classic volunteers. JUNE TRAINING RIDES: START TIME 8:00 AM
RMCC JUNE MEETING: TUESDAY, JUNE 1 @ DENNY'S
(PARK AVE AND 1-25), 7:00 PM
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Follow the YBR On CNN's Larry King Live, Diane Short of Colorado Heart Cycle breathlessly announced a revolutionary way to travel from Denver to Summit County while minimizing your exposure to I-70. A route has been charted around the treacherous Georgetown hill. It offers save and dreamy passage to Summit County and beyond by following the yellow brick road. Take the Georgetown frontage road through Gtown. Do NOT enter I-70! Follow the frontage road to the RR station, pass under the trestle and at the end of the RR parking lot, go right backtracking slightly. The road winds back around to parallel I-70 but keeps you well removed from traffic. You will emerge at the RR station on the south side of I-70 at Silver Plume. Go under I-70 and continue your journey through Silver Plume singing "bye-bye Miss I-70 rock slide." Colorado Brevet Series a Success! Brave breveter, John Lee Ellis, filed the following report with the Chatter's home office. The May-June '99 Colorado Brevet Series - 200km, 300km, 400km, and 600km events that must be ridden to qualify for Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) - attracted a good number of riders. Club members doing some, or all, of the brevets included Merle Baracyzk, Bob Barday, Ken Billingsley, Renald Bodeux, Joel Carp, John Lee Ellis, Rex Farnsworth, Bob Fourney, Mike Fox, Charlie Henderson, John Hughes, Preston Jones, Marcia Kestner, Matt McGowan, Martin Pahl, Ben Staggs, and Glen Werner. As the brevet administrator, I'd like to thank Charlie Henderson (RUSA Executive Board), Mike Fulton, Barry Nash, Dave Slowey, and everyone else who helped make the events a success. Charlie made nice improvements to our traditional 300km Black Forest route, while the 400km and 600km routes gained some altitude this year with climbs up Lefthand Canyon and St. Vrain Canyon. And riders braved hail and torrential downpours during the early monsoons we had in June. Not everyone was qualifying for PBP - some came out just for a challenging ride and for some good training. Riding styles spanned from Bob Fourney, blasting the courses with his fully enclosed recumbent, to Bob Barday, prepared for everything complete with desert sun gear. So consider joining us for a brevet next time they're offered (perhaps next year). Weesa Have Muy Muy Good Time. Okey Day "D2A requests yousa presence at an event in honor of endurance cycling. If yousa willing to be a rest stop volunteer, please contact Carolyn Cropp to donate yousa time, talents and canned goods to a muy, muy good time. Also , yousa riders and volunteers should call to check room availability in Aspen and Snowmass for after da ridin' time" - Jar Jar Binks JULY TRAINING RIDES: START TIME 8:00 AM
RMCC JULY MEETING: TUESDAY, JULY 6 @ DENNY'S
(PARK AVE AND 1-25), 7:00 PM Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride The Volunteer's Lament This time of year, RMCC always has difficulty finding ride starters. We apologize to anyone who traveled to Monument on July 10 or Idaho Springs on July 17 and found no one handing out maps or providing ride directions. We understand that you expect someone to be there to start the ride, but unlike the cavalry a volunteer didn't appear just in time. Identifying ride leaders begins at our monthly meeting. If a volunteer isn't available from the members present, calls are made to those who normally attend the meetings but were absent on this occasion. Failing that, we solicit others we know. And that's it: no yes, no ride starter. On July 10 and 17 the system failed. However, it didn't fail without warning. The schedule published each month in these hallowed pages has had a large number of ride starters whose initials are TBD (to be determined). To be determined means that when Chain Chatter is published, no one has yet been found to start the ride. So we continue to call, to cajole and attempt to find a ride starter to assume the mantle of TBD. In fairness to our system, which does provide ride starters for the other 70-plus rides each year, please realize that July is a busy month. Vacations, visitors, weddings, baseball, and a plethora of other diversions all conspire with the other competing cycling events -the Triple Bypass, the MS 150, Elephant Rock, the Contrail, etc. to dry up the pool of volunteers. So it occurred to us: what if the ride starters came from the very ranks of those that do the rides but don't attend the meetings and aren't known by those who do? What if it was apparent that it just isn't that much trouble to start a ride? What if there was an easy way for those riders to volunteer? What if there was a way to notify the riders which rides needed starters? You're in luck for we have those answers. Starting a ride is certainly no less trouble than getting to the ride and finding that there is no one to start it. If you start the ride you can ensure that you will have the map and the directions. So here's what you'll have to do:
The person to notify is me, John Klever. My telephone number is 303.321.1265. This number has voice mail so if I don't answer the telephone, you can leave a message. The message must include your name, your telephone number, and the ride you want to lead. I'll call you back with the good news: yes, you may start the ride; or the bad news: no, some other lucky soul beat you to it. If you get to start the ride, you'll also get a packet of printed materials in the mail that will include a map, a route narrative, a sign-up sheet, and instructions on how to lead the ride. The sooner you volunteer, the better. Knowing who the ride starters are before Chain Chatter goes to press is important. It allows you, the club members, to make your plans. Because the materials are mailed and you need to make copies, you must volunteer before the Tuesday before the ride. If no one volunteers by the Tuesday before the ride, the ride will have to run without a starter unless you want to pick up the printed materials in person. Once you do volunteer to start a ride, please follow through with your commitment. Your fellow cyclists are depending on you. If you're unable to start the ride or find a replacement, please call to notify me. 'No Volunteer' will be updated and posted on our website. Please check this site frequently to get the most recent updates on the ride starters. -- John Klever RMCC Riders go to Paris Fourteen local cyclists are bound for Paris after successfully completing their qualifying brevet rides. They are Merle Baranczyk, Bob Barday, Ken Billingsley, Joel Carp, John Lee Ellis, Rex Farnsworth, Bob Fourney, Mike Fox, Mike Fulton, Charlie Henderson, John Hughes, Marcia Kestner, Martin Pahl, and Ben Staggs. Moreover, five cyclists from far away (Texas and California) came to our brevets to qualify. Of the local riders, some are veterans (e.g., John Hughes with four PBP's!), some are rookies ( e.g., Marcia Kestner), and several aim to make a good competitive showing, including Bob Fourney, riding an enclosed recumbent; Mike Fulton; and Martin Pahl. Paris-Brest-Paris is a 750-mile ride from Paris to Brest, on the Atlantic coast, and back, with a 90-hour time limit. This makes it twice as far as our longest brevet ("only" 600km). PBP is held every four years, and was started as a promotional race way back in 1891. For some, PBP is still a race; for everyone, it is a test of endurance, ingenuity, and persistence, through day and night, rain and shine, over hills and more hills across the French and Breton countryside. It is a special event, not the least because the entire populace turns out to cheer on the riders and aid them when they can. The US showing should top 400 this year, out of perhaps 3500 total riders from many lands. So if you miss some familiar faces at club rides in late August, think of them bounding through France and hopefully having a most enjoyable PBP! -- John Lee Ellis Rumble Strips: A Cyclist's Bane It's working. Your calls, letters, and e-mails to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) expressing your dismay over the rapid proliferation of rumble strips are generating a response. CDOT is planning to pave over the rumble strips on US Highway 34. But it's not over. Your continued support is needed. Please ask your friends, family, colleagues, etc. to lend their voices and strength to defeating the renegade rumble strip makers. Call Governor Owens' complaint line (303.866.2471), or send an e-mail (info@dot.state.co.us) or letter to CDOT (4201 East Arkansas, Denver, Colorado 80222) expressing your anger. The club's efforts to fight the rumble strips are having a positive influence. Continue to keep the pressure on and thank you for your time, your calls, your letters and your presence at the July l5 CDOT meeting. Training Now, to Ride Then: D2A! We're on a record setting pace for the last Denver-Aspen Classic of the millennium (depending on which side of the 2000 vs. 2001 fence you fall on). However, we still need volunteers. Please contact Rita Saunders if you want to celebrate the last day of July with us. There's no debating the veracity of that. AUGUST TRAINING RIDES: START TIME 8:00 AM
Why the Sudden Absence of the Ride Description and Directions to the Ride Start Locations?
(a) To provide more space for news and
information
(c) To reduce subscriber eye strain RMCC AUGUST MEETING: TUESDAY, AUGUST 3 @ DENNY'S
(PARK AVE AND 1-25), 7:00 PM Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Resting Now, to Volunteer Later: Y2K:D2A A big Whoo! Whoo! thank you to the following volunteers who were instrumental in this year’s successful D2A Classic. Rick Melick – OUTSTANDING job with sponsorships, marketing and overall HOURS and HOURS of work Chuck Gillis – Registration, confirmation, certificates of completion, and rider results (Rider results will be published next month, October 1999). Mary Melick – Day-of-ride registration at both Meridian and Pine Junction Terry and Randy Durbin – Pine Junction start and other organizational tasks Tom Derosier – Hartsel rest stop and SAG support on Independence Pass Sue Buckley, Rick Greer, and Bill Saunders – The nitty gritty organizational tasks and day-of-ride details Karen Brey – Helped with registration and transported all the overnight bags to Aspen. Important? You bet! Mike Butyn – On-the-road SAG support. Need I say more? Ron Palizzi, Sally Douglass, Carolyn Cropp, Karianne Higgins, Carol Higgins, Dale Hokens, Bambi Yost, Barry Nash, Penny Pence, Bill Prymark, Janet Saxson, Tim Sells and the entire Slowey Family - Rest stop volunteers. THE GREASE ON THE CHAIN. THE LINCHPIN. Repeat the Feat For the second year in a row, Carol Chaffee devoured the competition in the Mount Evans Hill Climb and claimed first place in the Senior Women Category 4 division. Her blistering time of 2:30:07 placed her atop the podium with a comfortable 9:44 margin over second place. Additionally, Robin Gregory climbed to a top 10 finish in the Category 4 Men’s division. His swift summit clocked in at 2:19:30 which was good for 9th overall. Ouch! Were You There? 1998 Race Across America champion (RAAM), Gerry Tatrai, was in Boulder in the beginning of July putting the finishing touches on his preparation for this year’s RAAM title defense. The Wonder From Down Under was the guest of club member John Hughes and joined us average "joes" on one of the RMCC club rides. Those riders who trucked out to Tower Road in Aurora on the Fourth of July weekend were able to ride out to Strasburg with the seven-time RAAM finisher whose best transcontinental crossing occurred in 1992 (8 days 6 hours and 10 minutes). Gerry won RAAM in 1993 in 8 days 20 hours and 19 minutes, and his 1998 victory shaved more than 9 hours off that previous win. Unfortunately but still incredibly impressive, Gerry finished this year’s race in 3rd place. This was despite an accident that occurred on day 8 while he was jockeying for the lead with Wolfgang Fasching (Austria). While riding beside Fasching in a duel through the endless hills in Northern Georgia, Tatrai broke his seatpost, kissed the pavement and nursed numerous cuts and abrasions into Savannah for his fifth podium finish in eight starts. Check out www.raamonline.com for full race coverage. No title What? No article title? Well, there really isn’t an article either. Don’t give me that hooey that this bizarro article is really a normal article. I’m not buying it. Just like I’m not buying that no one is willing to volunteer as a ride starter. I understand the season is winding down, but that gives me plenty of time to plant the following New Millenium seed. Don’t start with that 2000-2001 guano either. Why don’t you join me with this resolution: In Y2K, I will start at least one club ride. Read it! Believe it! Shout it out loud! I do. In Y2K, I will start at least one club ride. Doubt is in Remission! A few short years ago, Lance Armstrong was given only a 30% chance of survival. And a 0% chance of coming back to win the Tour de France. Apparently, that was all he needed. (Giro advertisement). The following excerpt comes from an interview between Lance’s coach, Chris Carmichael, and Bicycling Magazine. (http://www.bicycling.com/daily/interview1.htm) BICYCLING- What was Armstrong’s training like when he first got back on the bike after his bout with cancer? CC- There were basically three phases. Phase one was a convalescence stage---basically getting him active again. We did 10-20 miles 3-4 days a week. There were three points to this stage: cycling for the cardiovascular system, weights twice a week for strength, and good good nutrition. This took him from January to April ‘97. Phase two took him back to training. He did more low intensity riding and aerobic conditioning and was still in the gym twice a week. This was from May to September ‘97. Phase three was race preparation---intense training from October ‘97 up to just prior to his first race in January ‘98. BICYCLING- Were there any secret recovery and training concepts that helped him climb back to the top? CC---Some of the stuff we did different is we trained a lot more. Before he’d train in the winter and race into fitness in the spring, but this time we did a lot more aerobic fitness training, not exceeding his lactate threshold. We worked at higher pedaling speeds that applies more aerobic training loads, which also allowed him to climb a little more fluid. In the Tour he was pedaling quicker on the climbs that most other guys. Before we trained at intensities too high, and by training at easier intensities but with greater volume we got a better return. We learned there’s an "optimum window for performance" (about 8 weeks) where everything---the physical and mental---is all working together. Before we’d grind away from February until the end of the year. He raced less, trained more and was more excited about his races. BICYCLING- What about his preparation---how was his training and fitness in the weeks and months before the Tour? CC- We did a lot more threshold work. Lance rode some smaller races and did lots of endurance miles and climbing. In May he did a five-day training camp in the Pyrenees and one in the Alps, and he rode every mountain stage and 12 stages total of this year’s Tour route. Never pushed him above his threshold before the final three weeks before the Tour beyond a few tests. BICYCLING- How does his post-cancer fitness compare with where he was prior to his illness? CC- He’s better, and there's a few reasons. One, he’s lighter. He lost some upper body mass. Two, the cancer is out, so he doesn’t have the disease draining on his body. Who knows how long that was in his lungs slowing him down? Three, he’s maturing---he’s 27. Lance is just coming into his peak. He was a great one day racer and quality stage racer when young, but a Tour de France winner doesn’t happen overnight. Lance’s Tour de France win was 10 years in the making. What he did when he was on the National team and Motorola is what made him a champion. And I think he can win two more Tours. SEPTEMBER TRAINING RIDES: START TIME 8:45 AM DATE MEET R/P E STARTER Sep 4 (Sat) GOLD 36 61 Bob Barday Sep 5 (Sun) TOWR 39 70 Charlie Henderson Sep 11 (Sat) N/A 46 68 VL (Volunteer’s Lament) Sep 12 (Sun) SUPR 62 62 Ken Brecheisen Sep 18 (Sat) N/A 48 78 Jim Fleming Sep 19 (Sun) LITN 60 60 Dave Slowey Sep 25 (Sat) GOLD 71 94 Sue Buckley Sep 26 (Sun) WAGN 51 106 Terri Durbin Oct 2 (Sat) LYON 47 47 VL (Volunteer’s Lament) Start time is 9:45 am Oct 3 (Sun) LITN 35 50 VL (Volunteer’s Lament) Start time is 9:45 am
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride RMCC Riders at Paris-Brest-Paris '99! After warm, sunny weather during the past two PBP's (Paris-Brest-Paris), this year’s weather was even better! Mild temperatures, a tailwind blowing back to Paris, and a mere half-hour of rain allowed the 3500 riders to enjoy the event and ride with success. Riders can sign up for the 90-hour, 84-hour, or 80-hour limits with the latter chosen by the elite, racing contingent. Most of the RMCC riders opted for the 84-hour limit starting at 5am. Local rider and multi-time RAAM winner, Bob Fourney, rode his fully enclosed recumbent to a 47:08 finish. He was the second fastest American in the event. Also, Mike Fulton's excellent time of 59:50 was a fine personal accomplishment. Much of his time was spent with the lead-racing group. Marcia Kestner rode in her first PBP and finished in a very respectable time especially since she rode without any support. Charlie Henderson (76:29) and Rex Farnsworth (76:19) set out to better every aspect of their rookie 1995 PBP, and did so in fine form. Their 76+ hour finishes would be a good performance in any respect, but they also reflected a steady, well concerted riding effort. Charlie’s French-speaking son Peter and Marcia Kestner’s husband Bill provided support for the two men. Other finishers included Ken Billingsley (64:18), John Lee Ellis (79:32), and John Hughes (60+). Martin Pahl and Ben Staggs were also seen on the course, and are believed to have finished well. Merle Baranczyk, Bob Barday, and Mike Fox encountered difficulties and weren't able to finish the whole course. No Paris-Brest-Paris is easy. It is a long and grueling ride whose countless hills and long miles wear you down. However, the lush country scenery and small villages are delightful. The many cyclists from other lands, along with the villagers who come out at all hours of the day and night to offer water, coffee, cookies, and other sustenance always provide an uplifting cheer for the passing rider. These are what make PBP a special and heartwarming event that keeps riders (including our RMCC contingent) coming back. Some Quotes & Impressions "I managed to ride about 780 miles (2 wrong turns). I was with the [lead 80-hour] peloton until Brest, and actually got filmed by TV-3 while catching the peloton. I finished in 60 hours, but had stomach problems for 8h45m in Loudeac that I was off the bike. I have never burped like that in my life - wow." - Mike Fulton "Biggest disappointment - lying down in Loudeac Tuesday night for 2½ hours and not sleeping a wink, got up before my wake-up call and went for another ride. Biggest thrill - 2 hours into the ride, taking a pull at the front of the lead peloton (I'd never even seen the lead peloton before)." - Ken Billingsley "Overall, PBP went well for me. I came in at about 81 hours. I battled stomach problems for most of the event. I am not sure what the cause of it was, but I could not take the energy drink, Hydro-fuel, I brought. Some things I ate would give me a burning sensation. What was odd was carbonated mineral water went down with no trouble. In spite of the difficulty, I rode on and enjoyed the scenery, the people, and the event. I saw a lot of old PBP friends from past ones and made a few new ones. - Gary Smith (his fifth PBP) "I accomplished my goal of sleeping much more this time, and enjoying more of the ride. The weather was splendid; the full moon and mild nights were salutory. Many friends - some not seen in years - popped up en route. It was good seeing and riding with them. The local citizenry's water brigades showed why this event has such heart." - John Lee Ellis "Well, I completed the whole darn thing . . . considerably longer than advertised. My time was 60+ hours; I didn't actually check my watch, just being happy not to to sit on the bike any longer!" - John Hughes (his umpteenth PBP) -John Lee Ellis and Chris Giovagnoni
Save Your Skin Crashes are an inevitable part of cycling, but there's a lot you can do to avoid a nasty fall. 1. A behemoth vehicle creates a terrifying vortex that will threaten to suck you into it's path. Solution: Be aware of passing busses or trucks. Grip the bars firmly and prepare to steer in the opposite direction of the vehicle. Move over if possible. Don't panic, it's more scary than dangerous. 2. Group rides are fun, but riding like a can of sardines on wheels can cause a mishap and a nasty multi-rider pileup. Solution: Never overlap wheels. The rider in front of you could swerve without warning, so if your front wheel is to either side of their rear wheel and not directly behind it, that swerve could cause you to go down. 3. Braking in the middle of a corner can cause a wicked, uncontrollable slide and a sudden loss of skin. Solution: Do all your hard braking before the corner. If you're still going too fast for the corner, lean more---you probably haven't approached your bike's traction limit yet. If you must, brake lightly with the rear and prepare for the tail of the bike to whip out. 4. A relatively minor crash causes a serious---even fatal---injury. Solution: Always wear a helmet. Sure, top pros sometimes ride sans lid, but sometimes they sustain a serious head injury for it. With the ever-improving quality of helmets, there's no reason short of foolishness for not wearing one. And don't try to convince yourself that you're not going to ride hard enough to go down---no rider is good enough to schedule their crashes. – Sean Coffey (excerpted from www.bicycling.com) I See Things Unlike little Forrest Gump who is currently seeing dead people in The Sixth Sense, I see you creating a design for the 1999 RMCC Mileage Challenge patch. Remember that thing? If not, check out your February 1999 Chain Chatter for a refreshing reminder. This creativity thing doesn’t entail much. It simply involves you putting a design on paper and submitting it to Chris Giovagnoni before 12/1/99. World-class artisans contracted by RMCC will then select one design to transform into reality. If your design is selected, you might find yourself on the Today show explaining to a national television audience what inspired such beauty. Please send your submissions to 209 Wright St. #304, Lakewood, CO 80228. RMCC and LAF Battle Cancer To honor Joe Lookingbill and his heroic fight against cancer, RMCC is donating $25 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation for each and every person who volunteered during the 1999 Denver-Aspen Classic. That’s a total of $800. Once again, thank you for your efforts. The event’s success rests squarely on your collective shoulders. OCTOBER TRAINING RIDES: START TIME 9:45 AM DATE MEET R/P E STARTER Oct 2 (Sat) LYON 47 47 Charlie Henderson Oct 3 (Sun) LITN 35 50 Rick Melick Oct 9 (Sat) SUPR 58 77 Val Phelps Oct 10 (Sun) MONU 50 50 VL (Volunteer’s Lament) Oct 16 (Sat) E255 48 75 Rita Saunders Oct 17 (Sun) LITN 43 58 Rick Melick Oct 23 (Sat) GOLD 41 47 Rick Melick Oct 24 (Sun) WAGN 43 60 Val Phelps Oct 30 (Sat) LARK 55 55 Charlie Henderson Oct 31 (Sun) WAGN 46 46 Rita Saunders Nov 6 (Sat) LITN 34 34 Rick Melick
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride In Memoriam Charter RMCC member Joe Lookingbill passed away Tuesday, September 28, 1999. Besides being a charter member, at one time or another Joe made many major contributions to the club. He processed memberships, chaired the Denver to Aspen Classic, produced the newsletter, and manned the RMCC presence at the Velo Swap. Joe and Catharine, his wife, also started many of the club rides. Joe's most tangible contribution was his design and production of the club jerseys and shorts so many of us wear. In his memory, the D2A has been officially renamed the Joe Lookingbill Memorial Denver-Aspen Classic.
Memorial donations can be sent to Hospice of Metro Denver 425 S. Cherry Street, Suite 700 Denver, CO 80246
Seeing Double Now, I’m seeing two of you creating a design for the 1999 RMCC Mileage Challenge patch. That’s two of the same you, not multiple members. Hence the seeing double thing. However, if I squeeze my eyes shut I see every club member submitting a design. What’s that? You say that’s called a dream. Ohhhh. This creativity thing doesn’t entail much. It simply involves you putting a design on paper and submitting it to Chris Giovagnoni before 12/1/99. World-class artisans contracted by RMCC will then select one design to transform into reality. Please send your submissions to 209 Wright St. #304, Lakewood, CO 80228. P.S. If you’re overflowing with creative juices, I suggest you bottle them and market a new product to compete with Odwalla. I think the marketplace is ripe for a product of this type. Or you could submit proposed jersey designs for the 2000 Joe Lookingbill Memorial Denver-Aspen Classic. Submissions should be made by 12/31/99. Please contact Rick Melick for details. Please Forgive Us For the past two months distribution of the Chain Chatter has fallen grossly short of what has been promised to the club membership. Please accept the club leadership’s apology. We understand that you expect to receive the colorful commentary and ride leader information prior to the beginning of each month, and we strive to meet the goal consistently. If you EVER have any comments, questions, concerns, complaints, compliments, or a wild hair please contact Chris Giovagnoni and voice your opinion.
Winter Training With a Purpose Winter doesn't have to be a training purgatory a lot can be accomplished that will make you fitter and faster for the season ahead.
Plan Ahead Make sure your goals are outcome-related and measurable. Write them down. Training without goals is like working a jigsaw puzzle without a picture.
Improve Strength Lifting weights is one of the most effective ways to use your training time now. Two or three one-hour sessions a week fortifying the basic movements of cycling can do wonders for your racing. The basic cycling movements and their related strength exercises are hip extensions such as squat, step-up, leg press and dead lift; and upper-body pulling exercises such as seated row and lat pull to chest.
Build Cardiovascular Endurance When it comes to improving the fitness of your heart, blood and lungs, it doesn't matter too much what you do. These most basic organs of fitness are stressed and grow stronger no matter whether you ride, run, cross-country ski, stair climb or jump rope. So in November, stay active with cross-training the variety will be good for your burnout quotient later on. Cross-training will keep you from grumbling through so many miserable rides in the basement or the drizzle.
Improve Leg Speed But don t forsake your bike altogether. When you stop an activity completely, the muscles begin to lose their memory -- the intricate movement patterns of recruitment, contraction and relaxation that take years to refine. Two or three times each week ride in the small chain ring working on your spinning to improve these muscle-firing patterns. Here are a couple of drills you can do on an indoor trainer while watching reruns of "Gilligan's Island." The idea is to become more comfortable at higher cadences than you're accustomed to.
Spin-Ups In a low gear, gradually increase your cadence for 20 to 30 seconds until you max out and begin bouncing on the saddle. Then back off a bit and hold it for as long as you can. Relax your toes and fingers while doing this. Recover completely and repeat several times.
Isolated Leg Place a stool or chair on either side of your trainer. Put one foot on the chair and pedal with only one leg in a low gear. Maintain your normal cadence while concentrating on eliminating the dead spot. When the leg fatigues, switch legs. After one cycle, spin for a few minutes with both legs employing what you've just learned. Repeat several times.
Lose Weight There is a lot you could do to slim down, but the easiest is to lower the glycemic index of your foods. Without going into a lot of detail, this essentially means greatly reducing your intake of sugar and starchy foods. The average American eats about a cup of refined sugar a day. Hard-working and always-hungry athletes probably eat more than that. Endurance athletes also eat more than their share of starches such as bread, bagels, cereal, pasta, rice, crackers, pastries and potatoes. All of these high glycemic carbohydrates play havoc with the body, putting you into a fat-storage mode. Replace them with fruits, vegetables and lean meats. You'll lose weight without going hungry.
- Joe Friel, M.S. coaches cyclists and is the author of "The Cyclist’s Training Bible." The full text of this article can be found at www.greatoutdoors.com/velonews/training
Lance Armstrong Foundation Fundraiser The annual Colorado Snowsports Expo kicks off at Currigan Hall November 4 and runs until November 7. PowerBar will be hosting a raffle to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Be sure to visit the PowerBar booth and register to win some fantastic prizes. Prizes include two Nike snowboard jackets, a $25 gift certificate to the Paramount Café, a $25 gift certificate to 240 Union, PowerBar products and apparel, and much more. Tickets are $2 for one or $5 for three.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER TRAINING RIDES: START TIME 10:45 AM DATE MEET R/P E STARTER Nov 6 (Sat) LITN 34 34 Rick Melick Nov 13 (Sat) GOLD 41 41 Dave Slowey Nov 20 (Sat) WAGN 41 41 Val Phelps Nov 27 (Sat) TOWR 40 40 Charlie Henderson Dec 4 (Sat) LKWD 39 39 Rick Melick
Rocky Mountain Cycling Club For people who love to ride Stop the Presses With end of millennium issues weighing heavily upon the world, the Chatter held the presses to bring you the following.
Adios, Arrivederci, and Adieu Farewell Chuck Gillis. Your tiresome work maintaining the club membership database is widely heralded. Understandably, it’s time for you to retire and become a beer pitchman. So . . . what does Mr. Brister need to know? For anyone interested in maintaining the membership database, you will be provided with all the necessary hardware and software (computer, printer, Microsoft Access 97, etc.) to be successful. An up-to-date database is critical in running Denver-Aspen, in fulfilling the club jersey order and the Pearl Izumi merchandise order, and in ensuring membership renewals are done at the right time. As President Kennedy said, "Ask not what your really cool cycling club can do for you. Ask what you can do for that same really rad club." If you’re interested in learning more about this responsibility, please contact Chuck Gillis to get the specs. 2000 Denver-Aspen on the Rocks? It’s possible. Volunteers are absolutely essential in order to keep our beloved orgy of pain alive. A program coordinator is needed to oversee the entire event infrastructure and the committees that bring the torture to life (i.e. rest stops, on-road services, finish line, volunteers, sponsorships, marketing, registration, and t-shirts and jerseys. A rest-stop coordinator is also needed. This person helps to recruit volunteers, coordinate duties and tasks, select a menu for each rest stop, purchase food, and ensure everything is organized on the big day. These two positions require COMMITMENT from February to August. If you’re interested, please contact Rita Saunders to volunteer or learn more. New Joisey New Joisey isn’t just another cool vacation spot to view needle sculptures on the beach. It’s also what the RMCC needs for Y2K. Submissions for the Y2K club joisies should be submitted to Rick Melick by January 25, 2000. The winning design will have three colors, will include the RMCC and club sponsor logos, and will be selected at the February 1 meeting. That’s right! The previous paragraph used the term "winning" in reference to design. This is a contest. Please contact Rick to learn about the entry incentive (free joisie) causing rabid dogs to salivate and to have any and all contest questions answered. Yo, Naked Guy. Ya Need Some Clothes? Then feast on this. RMCC has some extra apparel available for immediate purchase. Sink your chops into the glorious Lycra but remember you slobber on it, you bought it! Please contact Terri Durbin to make a purchase.
Ironman Among Us If we are what we eat, then Victor Selenow should try to avoid the magnets on his refrigerator. For 10 hours and 20 minutes on October 23, 1999, Victor chewed on iron. The result showcased his "intestinal" fortitude for a third consecutive year. Victor, at age 45, claimed his third consecutive age group title and finished an extremely impressive 7th out of 750 iron horsies. Congratulations Victor Selenow! Bravisimo!! Sprint for the Finish The 1999 RMCC Mileage Challenge is quickly approaching its termination. Remember that every person accumulating at least 3,000 miles in 1999 is eligible to receive a club patch specially recognizing the achievement. (A separate patch will be made for those individuals riding more than 5,280 miles.) If you’d like a patch or to recognize yourself in the March 2000 Chain Chatter submit your figures by January 21, 2000. Check your newsletter archives (2/99) for the 411 that’s needed, and if you want to puff your chest up with pride, send a $5 check (payable to the RMCC) to Chris Giovagnoni at 209 Wright St #304, Lakewood, CO 80228 and wear the much ballyhooed commemorative patch. Reasonably Priced Free Stuff In what passes for a tradition here at the "Oil That !@%$ Chain," it’s the time of year to host the nth annual Reasonably Priced Free Stuff Bike Swap and Sale. If you have "schtuff" to sell, please ring-a-ding-ding at 303-984-7985 and allow the Chatter to proclaim it to the world for you. Since space is limited, ads will be published on a first come, first served basis and will hit the streets in the January newsletter. GrahamWatson.com After much demand from racing fans, Graham Watson is making his debut on the World Wide Web. GrahamWatson.com is a site developed to highlight the splendor of the sport of cycling as seen through the eyes of renowned international cycling photographer and author, Graham Watson. GrahamWatson.com is a virtual portfolio of Watson's photography including this year's sensational Tour de France victory by Lance Armstrong, and a glorious collection of races and champions past and present. The highlight of the site is the Dublin Exhibit, a Web site adaptation of the highly successful exhibition that Watson debuted in Ireland at the start of the 1998 Tour de France. More than 100 images adorn this section of the site alone, and tributes are displayed to cycling 'greats' like Greg LeMond, Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and, now, Lance Armstrong. The showpiece of the Dublin exhibition was the 'Wall of Yellow' - where giant 60" x 16" prints of recent Tour winners covered an entire wall. The 1999 Web site version is no less spectacular. "The purpose of this site," according to Watson, "is to expand the world of cycling to an even wider audience than before and hopefully attract new fans to the sport. I will be updating images directly from the major races, as well as displaying some of the most compelling moments in the history of cycling that I was fortunate enough to capture for posterity." Visitors to the site will also be able to browse through products available that feature Watson's work. Books, calendars and posters make up just part of Watson's commercial portfolio. (Article taken from the "This Just In" section of www.greatoutdoors.com) Enjoy the holidays! DECEMBER-JANUARY TRAINING RIDES: START TIME 10:45 AM DATE MEET R/P/E STARTER Dec 18 and 26 WAGN 40+ Val Phelps 12/18; Jim Rhomberg 12/18 and 12/16 Jan 2, 8, 15, 22, and 29 WAGN 40+ Val Phelps or Jim Rhomberg |